Almost every summer my family visits the beach. While the beach is one of the most relaxing places on earth (in my opinion) there are still ways to sneak in some educational beach activities for the kids!
Learning while at the beach can definitely happen with out spoiling the vacation or day at the beach. The trick is to keep it fun and interesting. Don’t let the kids know they are learning.
Research The Beach Before You Go
What is that beach known for? Do sea turtles nest there? Is there a special kind of crustacean living on that beach? Do rare creatures inhabit the beach or water? Did anything historic happen on the beach or offshore? Use your findings to build some excitement about what you might find on your trip.
We travel to North Carolina beaches each year and there are tons of educational beach activities! The place we stay is only about an hour from the Wright Brother’s Museum and there are numerous other historic places along the trip. This year we climbed the historic lighthouse and learned more about how lighthouses have been a part of our coasts history for hundreds of years.
Some things stay the same at every beach. This year my kids were very interested in tides and currents. They followed the phases of the moon and learned when the tide would be low and high. Most nights they explored the beach late and night and early in the morning. They found washed up sea creatures and learned that crabs pick them apart before the sun rises each morning.
The kids thought they were just having fun, but they were learning a ton!
Hit The Library Or Bookstore
Once you have done your research, find books or internet sites about the creatures, places or events you discovered. One beach we went to was known for their sea turtle nesting sites. We read books about sea turtles and their nests. The kids couldn’t wait to search the beach for sea turtle nests!
Bring Supplies
Pack a couple small beach buckets, shovels, nets (large and small), magnifying glasses and snorkel gear. Keep it handy and let the kids know it is available. You never know what the kids might find.
Bring Guidebooks
Once the kids use their supplies and capture a new creature or unidentified object, they are going to want to know what it is. Almost every area of the country has nature guides specific to that region. I highly recommend getting a few for your beach vacation. Sometimes you can pick up some site specific guides at local nature centers, park gift shops, or tourist centers.
Some nature guides to think about: birds, shells, fish, mammals, and specific beach guides.
Let the Kids Decide
My girls are very passionate about saving sea life. Several mornings on our trip they woke up early and collected garbage from the beach. I never mentioned this to them, but they thought it was important, so they did it. They are educating themselves on keeping the beaches clean and animals safe.
Have Fun
Don’t start the first day of vacation with “Welcome to class kids. Are you ready for some educational beach activities? Today, I want you to find and identify four kinds of shells, two fish and dig a crustacean out of the sand.” Let the kids play and have fun. Keep the supplies handy just in case they see something cool. Let them initiate the learning.
Our week at the beach was a great learning experience that lasted way past the trip. The kids brought back shells, pictures, and lots of questions that lead to more research on their part.
Preschool Beach Activities
There is so much to imagine at the beach, and with summer coming, why not have some preschool beach fun at home with a beach theme for a week coming up? It’s really not that hard to do, and your preschoolers will love you for it. Sand, tools, and surf–the beach was made for little ones!
No beach nearby? No problem. Simply gather a few supplies, and you can make your own beach experience at home!
Beach Supplies
- Sand
- Shells {from a trip to the beach or a craft store}
- Spoons or small shovels
- Small containers or buckets
- Plastic fish
- Arts and crafts supplies
- Books
So, what do you do now that you’ve gathered all of these materials?
Make a Sensory Bin
Create a small sensory bin by filling a plastic lidded box one-fourth full of sand, and putting in some shells, plastic fish and other animals, and some small containers and scoops or shovels.
Kids love digging in the sand, and the sensory excitement of having a table-top sandbox can buy you some precious time to make dinner or have a cup of coffee and recharge.
Story & Craft Time
Read aloud some beach-themed books. I found this fun list of picture books by searching “beach activities for preschoolers.” This book list for The Sea unit study also has some good books.
Preschool Science Activity
How about a fun science demonstration? Years ago I worked on a book about coral reef animals and every child I tried out the activities on was fascinated by coral. It looks like a plant, feels like ceramic or hardened clay, and is really the hardened homes of thousands of tiny animals called polyps.
Polyps reproduce by budding, and while you don’t need to go into the anatomy and physiology with your preschoolers, you can explain that by budding, or building on top of each other, they grow and create amazing underwater structures.
Try this budding activity from my book, Survival on the Reef, with your little ones. They’ll love seeing the pretty crystals growing in their own home.
More educational beach activities for kids
- Sand Volcanoes – One Perfect Day shows off a little water lava fun.
- Salt Water Egg Experiment – Brilliant Beginnings Preschool shows off some salt water learning.
- Letter of the Week – O – Educating Laytons shares ocean crafts, activities, and printables.
- Sea Urchins – The Crafty Classroom recreates these sea friends with toothpicks.
- The Science of Waves and Beaches – The Homeschool Scientist gets dirty creating waves.
- Animal Notebooking Pages – The Notebooking Fairy offers a free printable to learn more about all those wonderful salty animals.
- Oceans Preschool Pack – Homeschool Creations created a cute preschool pack for learning about the ocean.
- Beach Collage – Kids Nature Spot shares a fun way to keep all those beach treasures together.
- Summer Water Fun – The Homeschool Classroom shares a few water lesson ideas.
- Oceans Pinterest Board – The Happy Housewife has pinned great ocean fun.
More Homeschool Trips & Vacation Tips:
- Tips for an Educational Beach Vacation
- Tips for Homeschooling While Traveling
- 10 Summer Learning Activities
- Educational Benefits of Camping
- Zoo Field Trip Tips
- And, don’t forget a Free Printable Field Trip Log (if you need to track your homeschool hours)
by contributing writer Marci
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